A good ebook sample can turn a browser into a buyer.

Joe Wikert: "My gut tells me the revenue missed by not converting samples into sales is a much larger figure than the revenue lost to piracy. And yet, the publishing industry spends a small fortune every year in DRM but treats samples as an afterthought."

Airline passengers in the U.S. may soon be allowed to use ereaders and tablets during takeoff and landing. In other news, O'Reilly's Joe Wikert reveals the power of direct sales, and the key phrase for news is "mobile."

The fifth in a series looking at the major themes of this year's TOC conference.

Several overriding themes permeated this year's Tools of Change for Publishing conference. The final piece in a series looking at five of the major themes, here we take a look at the ebook evolution, from data on how readers acquire and consume ebooks to platform and format trends and predictions.

Two surveys bode well for digital publishing, HMH teams with Amazon, and books aren't the library's only game.

One survey said ereader and tablet ownership doubled during the holidays; a second showed that Amazon may not be losing money on its Kindle Fire sales. Also, Amazon got a new print edition distributor and the library discussion elevated beyond ebooks.

In this interview, Angela Bole of the Book Industry Study Group reviews results from the "Consumer Attitudes Toward E-Book Reading" study. She says the data looks good for publishers, assuming they can develop the right business models.